Download: Google Adds New Driving Mode To Maps In V9.19

Google has recently started pushing an update for their latest version of the Maps app for Android, and a new Driving Mode among other things is one new feature to look out for if this is an app you use on a regular basis, especially if using it in the vehicle and behind the wheel is a time when you use it the most. While the Maps update may not be live for everyone, those who have updated the app already from the Play Store should now be on version 9.19 of Google Maps, anyone else who hasn’t seen the update come through yet can still download the apk file from the link below and install the app that way.

One of the new changes seen in this latest version of Google Maps is the audio toggle feature within navigation, in which Google has taken the placement of the mute functionality (the on-screen button one could tap to disable navigation audio) and they have moved it back to the main screen when navigation is running instead of keeping it tucked away in the overflow menu prior to this update. Aside from moving it back within plain view, Google has also updated the look of the audio toggle button just a little bit and there are options for both muting audio completely and muting everything but navigation alerts.

As for completely new features, the new driving mode is something to keep an eye on for heavy users of Maps when behind the wheel. What Google has done with this feature is essentially take navigation and integrated it with user web search history and past location history to give you relevant information about the drive, like traffic updates and how long it might take you to get to your destination. For users who are particularly interested in looking at Maps and seeing their history of places they’ve been using Maps before, the timeline view is the go-to place to get this information. With version 9.19 Google has added a timeline Settings menu that allows users more granular control over managing their location settings for the timeline view as well as a couple of options to tick for improving the timeline. Lastly, it appears that Google may be preparing to add some to-do list functionality within Maps down the road in a later update. If you’re not on the latest version of Maps yet through the official update, you can hit the download link below to grab it.